The Express: ‘She’s lost her moral authority’ – Rees-Mogg attacks Theresa May after confidence vote

Theresa May has “lost her moral and political authority” after 117 Conservative MPs voted against the Prime Minister’s Tory Party leadership in a confidence motion, according to leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Mr Rees-Mogg made the comments after Mrs May survived the confidence motion by a margin of 83. However, Mr Rees-Mogg argued she should still resign. He insisted he would continue opposing Mrs May’s Brexit deal.

Mr Rees-Mogg told BBC Newsnight last night: “The message today to Theresa May is that she has lost her moral and political authority.

“The whole issue is that the Prime Minister has not done what she said she would do in the Conservative manifesto and a number of speeches.

“The Prime Minister said we would leave the customs union in her manifesto and under her deal we don’t leave the customs union.”

Mr Rees-Mogg chairs the European Research Group (ERG), a group of Eurosceptic Tory MPs backing a hard-Brexit.

He very publicly submitted a letter of no confidence in Mrs May last month arguing she was failing to deliver Brexit.

Mrs May faced a confidence vote last night after 48 such letters were sent, which she won amongst Tory MPs by 200 votes to 117.

Mr Rees-Mogg insisted the vote was a blow to the Prime Minister.

He argued: “This is a very bad result for her.

“More than half the non-payroll, more than half the people not in receipt of the Queen’s shilling voted against her.”